Hypodermic needle cleaning apparatus



' INVENTOR.- WILLIAM UMLDEBZIH W. J. HOLDERITH HYPODERMIC NEEDLE CLEANING APPARATUS Filed June 26. 1950 Jan. 27, 1953 Patented Jan. 27, 1,953

OFFICE l HYPODERMIC NEEDLE CLEANING APPARATUS William J. Holderith, New York, N. Y.

Appucauonriune 26, 195o, serial Ne. 170,366

. 1 f My invention relates to cleaning apparatus for surgical and medical equipment and particularly to hollow tubular instruments requiring cleaning after each use; Y

It is an object ofmy invention to provide an apparatus adapted to 'clean surgical and medical apparatus after use" and before sterilization prior to future use.

It is a further 'object of my invention to provide an apparatus in' which a relatively large number of pieces of 'equipment may be cleansed simultaneously.' 1

It is still a further object of my invention to provide an apparatus which cleans,`dries and prepares medical and surgical apparatus for steriliz ation requiring a minimum of preparatory manual operation.

These and further objects of the invention will appear as thev specification progresses.

In accordance with the invention, apparatus is provided for receiving andjholding medical and/or surgical equipment' to be cleaned and prepared for subsequent sterilization which engagesv a cleaning manifold of :special construction about to -be more fully described and through which heated water and heated air are successively circulated to perform the cleaning and drying operation.

The manifold construction forming apart of the apparatus is arranged to receive any desired number of pieces of' a given type of equipment and comprises a tube through whichthe heated water and warmed air can be circulated. The tube is provided with a plurality of receiving' studs upon which the piecesl to .be cl eaned can be mounted, each of which` is bored'to'perm't 'the water and air to circulate into the equipment for removal of extraneous matter and for drying'.

A special mounting bracket adaptedtofreceive and hold the equipment -is so arranged' thatl it-c'an be clamped overthe studs'thereby irmly placing each piece of equipment in proper position. As a further feature of the invention, the clamp can be provided with a special equipment holder and remotely actuated thus permitting arelatively L large number of individual pieces of equipment to l'be separately mountedand... rapidlyand expeditiously inserted into ithe clamp to facilitate cleaning.

The invention will be described in .greater deftail with 'reference' to" the appended drawing wherein:

Fig. 1 shows a' diagrammatic 'view-lof" the cleaning apparatus according to the invention;

Fig. 2 shows a side velevational View of the cleaning apparatus according to the invent'ion;

5 Claims. l (Cl. 134-152) Fig. 3 shows the manifold construction in greater detail; and

Fig. 4 shows the holder construction in greater detail.

Referring to Fig. 1, the cleaning apparatus includes a supply of heated Water l for cleaning medical equipment, for example, hypodermic needles and the like after use. Water is drawn from any convenient water supply through an intake pipe or hose 2 and heated by an electrical immersion heater 3. After being heated the water is drawn into the cleaning manifold 4 through a pipe 5 and a valve system E5 for regulating the supply of either heated water or heated air for drying.' I he manifold 4 is provided with a plurality of stub outlets 'I tapered to receive the instrument to be cleaned. t

The manifold construction can be more clearly seen in'Fig. 3 where each of the stub outlets 'i are so tapered as to receive each needle to be cleaned." In the drawing, these outlets are shown as tapered tovreceive the needles 8 over the stubs. However, it is equally practicable to so taper the stubs internally that the needles lit into the bore in the stubs.

The needles are mounted in a holder 9 (shown in greater' detailin Fig. 4) which comprises a metall `strip I0 provided with a plurality of notches for receiving and holding the needles or instruments` and which is backed with a rubber strip vI I. The holder 9 is adapted to t into a mounting bracket I2 which slides on a column I3. A cam mechanism moves holder 9 into engagement with the manifold which remains stationaryjas shown in Fig. l, so that the needles are caused tov slip over the stubs and be positioned for washing. The cam mechanism comprises a cam I4 pivotedabout a shaft I5 and is actuated by lever I 5 riding on a plate I'I on the manifold. Counterclockwise rotation of the lever causes the holder tomove into engagement with the manifold placing the needles over the stubs and in positionv-for'cleaning. Clockwise rotation of the lever causesthe holder to release the stubs from the -manifold for removal after cleaning.

In order to prepare the needles for sterilization after cleaning,- air drying apparatus is provided? which comprises an air inlet I9. connected through 'a-'safety'valve 20 andan air lter12I'to an'airheater`22 preferably provided by coiled tubing 24 throughvwhich the air passes-andis.

heated by a heating e1ement2 5. After being heated the air' 'supply` is connected to `a,.three position valve `E Wl'lich servesto regulate the admissionof'water or air to the manifold. After passing through the stubs, the water i collected in a basin 23 (shown in Fig. 2). A screen 24 is provided in the basin for preventing damage to any needles which may fall out of the manifold.

I am aware that the arrangement according to the invention is susceptible of various modifications without altering the basic inventive concept.

I therefore wish it to be understood that while I have thus described my invention with specific examples and applications other obvious modifications thereof will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A device for holding hollow tubular articles for cleaning such as hypodermic needles and the like, comprising a cleaning manifold adapted to be connected, respectively; to a source of cleaning fluid and a source of warmed air for drying, a plurality of tapered cleaning. stubs on the manifold each adapted to fit internally into the article to be cleansed, a holder for carrying. the articles comprising a frame, a carrying strip supported by said frame and provided with a plurality of apertures to receive the articles and hold them in position, each of said apertures being. aligned with a corresponding stub in said manifold, and means to move said frame supporting the `carrying strip relative to said manifold to bring said tubular articles into engagement with the respective stubs, said means comprising a cam interposed between the frame and the manifold and in operative engagement with the frame, rotation of the cam causing the frame supporting the carrying strip to move relative to the manifold to bring the articles into engagement with the stubs, and means to rotate the cam to effect movement of the frame relative to the manifold.

2. A device for holding hollow tubular articles for cleansing such as hypodermic needles and the like. comprising a cleaning manifold adapted to be connected, respectively. to a source of cleaning fluid and a source of warmed air for drying, a plurality of tapered cleaning stubs each having an external taper corresponding to the internal shape of the hollow article and adapted. to t internally into the article to be cleansed, each of.l said stubs connecting with the manifold to allow cleaning fluid and air to circulate therethrough, a holder for carrying the articlesv comprising a fr ame, a column support along which the frame slides, a carrying strip supported by said frame. and provided with a plurality of apertures to receive the articles and hold them in position, each of said apertures being aligned with a corresponding stub in said manifold, and. means to move said frame supporting the carrying strip to bring said tubular articles into engagement with the respective stubs, said means comprising a roller interposed between the frame and the manifold, an eccentric pivot on said roller connected to said frame wherebyvrotation of the roller causes the frame supporting the carrying strip to move along the column relative to the manifold to bring the articles. into engagement with the stubs, and means to rotate the roller to effect movement of the frame relative to the manifold.

3. A device for holding, hollow tubular articles for cleansing such ashypodermic needles and the. like comprising a cleaning manifold adapted to be connected, respectively, to a source of cleaning fluid and a source of warmed air for drying, a, plurality of tapered cleaning stubs each having a conical external taper corresponding to the internal shape of the hollow article and adapted to iit internally into the article to be cleansed, each of said stubs connecting with the manifold to allow cleaning fluid and air to circulate therethrough, ak holder for carrying` thev articles comprising a frame, a column support along which the frame slides, a carrying strip supported by said frame and provided with a plurality of apertures to receive the articles and hold them in position, each of said apertures being aligned with a corresponding stub in said manifold, and means to move said frame supporting the carrying strip to bring said tubular articles into engagement with the respective stubs, said means comprising a roller interposed between the frame and the manifold, an eccentric pivot on the roller connected Ato said frame whereby rotation of the roller causes the frame supporting the carrying strip tov move relative to the manifold to bring the articles into engagement with the stubs, and means to rotate the roller to effect movement of the frame relative to the manifold.

4. A device for' holding hollow tubular articles for cleansing such as hypodermic needles and the like,` comprising a cleaning manifold adapted to be connected, respectively, to a source of clean'- ing fluid and a source of warmed air for drying, a plurality of tapered cleaning stubs each having a conical external taper corresponding to the internal shapeL of the hollow article and adapted. to iit internally into the article to be cleansed, each of said. stubs connecting with the manifold to allow cleaning fluid and air to circulate therethrough, a holder for carrying the articles comprising a frame, a column support along which the frame slides. a carrying strip supportedv by said frame and provided with a plurality of apertures to receive the articles and hold them in position, said carrying strip comprising a` metal strip supporting a rubber strip on the side adjacent the manifold, each of said apertures in the carrying strip being aligned with a corresponding stub in said manifold, and means to move said frame supporting the carrying strip along the column to bring said tubular articles into engagement with the respective stubs, said means comprising a roller interposed between the frame and the manifold, an eccentric pivot on the roller connected to said frame whereby rotation of the roller causes the frame supporting the carrying strip to move relative to the manifold to bring the articles into engagement with the stubs, and means to rotate the cam to eiect movement of the frame relative to the manifold.

5. A device for holding hollow tubular articles having a conical internal taper for cleansing such as hypodermic needles comprising a cleaning manifold adapted to be connected, respectively, to a source of cleaning fluid and a source of warmed air for drying, a. plurality of tapered cleaning stubs each having a conical external taper corresponding to the internal taper of the hollow article and adapted to t internally into the article to bev cleansed, each of said stubs connecting with the manifold to allow cleaning fluid and air to circulate therethrough, a holder for carrying the articles comprising a supporting frame, a column support along which thel frame slides, a carrying strip supportedv by said frame l and provided with a. plurality of apertures to receivey the articles and hold them in position, saidA 5 carrying strip comprising a metal strip supporting a rubber strip on the side adjacent the manifold, each of said apertures in the carrying strip being aligned with a corresponding stub in said manifold, and means to move said frame supporting the carrying strip along the column to bring said tubular articles into engagement with the lrespective stubs, said means comprising a -roller interposed between the frame and the manifold, an eccentric pivot on the roller connected to said frame whereby rotation of the roller causes the frame supporting the carrying strip to move relative to the manifold to bring the articles into engagement with the stubs, a bearing plate between the roller and the manifold, and lever means to rotate the cam to effect movement of the frame relative to the manifold. WILLIAM J. HOLDERITH.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the le of this patent: 

